Summary

The purpose of this project was to assess the level of
security in large indoor shopping malls. The researchers administered
surveys to the security directors of the nation's largest indoor
retail malls. The researchers sent letters with surveys attached, to
1,372 security directors of enclosed retail malls across the country,
which were at least 250,000 square feet in size. A total of 120
completed surveys were returned. The survey instrument was divided
into the following nine sections: (1) Hiring Standards, (2) Training,
(3) Security Budget, (4) Human Surveillance Strategies, (5) Access
Control Plans, (6) Technological Enhancements, (7) Emergency
Preparedness Procedures, (8) Relations with the Public Sector, and (9)
Opinions about Terrorist Threat.

Subject Terms

Geographic Coverage

Smallest Geographic Unit

none

Restrictions

A downloadable version of data for this study is available however, certain identifying information in the downloadable version may have been masked or edited to protect respondent privacy. Additional data not included in the downloadable version are available in a restricted version of this data collection. For more information about the differences between the downloadable data and the restricted data for this study, please refer to the codebook notes section of the PDF codebook. Users interested in obtaining restricted data must complete and sign a Restricted Data Use Agreement, describe the research project and data protection plan, and obtain IRB approval or notice of exemption for their research.

Time Period(s)

2004

Date of Collection

2004

Data Collection Notes

Data from the survey of state homeland security
advisers, the site visits to eight malls in the United States and two
malls in Israel, and the analysis of state statutes regulating private
security are not available as part of this collection.

Study Purpose

The purpose of this project was to assess the
level of security in large indoor shopping malls as well as the
associated issues of training and legislation of private security
forces. The researchers evaluated the degree to which malls had become
better prepared to respond to terrorist attacks in the aftermath of
September 11, 2001.

Study Design

The researchers administered surveys to the
security directors of the nation's largest indoor retail malls. In
2004, the researchers sent letters with surveys attached, to 1,372
security directors of enclosed retail malls across the country, which
were at least 250,000 square feet in size. Initially, after sending
surveys that were written on American Society for Industrial Security
(ASIS) letterhead, the researchers received 32 completed
surveys. Several security directors called and told the researchers
that they had been instructed by their parent organizations not to
cooperate with the survey. These large mall owners were members of the
Security Committee of the International Council of Shopping
Centers. After sending a follow-up letter on National Institute of
Justice letterhead several weeks later, a total of 120 surveys were
completed.

Sample

The researchers sent letters with surveys attached, to
1,372 security directors of enclosed retail malls across the United
States, which were at least 250,000 square feet in size. The
researchers did not observe significant differences in response rates
either by size of mall or region of the country (East Coast, South,
Midwest, West, or West Coast).

Universe

Enclosed retail malls across the United States having at
least 250,000 square feet in 2004.

Unit(s) of Observation

mall

Data Source

Data were obtained from mail surveys.

Data Type(s)

survey data

Mode of Data Collection

mail questionnaire

Description of Variables

The survey instrument was divided into the
following nine sections: (1) Hiring Standards, (2) Training, (3)
Security Budget, (4) Human Surveillance Strategies, (5) Access Control
Plans, (6) Technological Enhancements, (7) Emergency Preparedness
Procedures, (8) Relations with the Public Sector, and (9) Opinions
about Terrorist Threat. Variables in Section 1, Hiring Standards,
include minimum qualifications, background checks, and changes in
hiring standards since September 11. Section 2, Training, contains
variables on the amount/type of training and how that has changed
since September 11, the organization that provides the training, and
the adequacy of training. Section 3, Security Budget, includes
information on the number of security staff and their salaries as well
as the expenditure of funds since September 11. Section 4, Human
Surveillance Strategies, contains items pertaining to stated security
goals and objectives with respect to protection from terrorist attack,
the utilization of undercover staff, the scrutiny of potential
terrorists, and changes in these areas since September 11. Variables
in Section 5, Access Control Plans, include the public availability of
facility plans or blueprints, specific plans to limit access to the
mall or to sensitive areas inside the mall in case of perceived threat
or change in the national alert level, whether new plans had been put
in place and whether the availability of plans had changed since
September 11. Section 6, Technological Enhancements, contains items
relating to the usage of surveillance cameras, passive barriers,
explosive-resistant trashcans, and window film, as well as items
pertaining to the detection of biological or chemical agents,
explosives, contaminants, and the Department of Homeland Security
Buffer Zone Protection Program. Variables included in Section 7,
Emergency Preparedness Procedures, include written protocols for
security staff, emergency response plans, exercises to rehearse
protocols with first responders, and coordination with other agencies
with respect to emergency preparedness protocols and procedures.
Relations with the Public Sector, Section 8, contains items pertaining
to involvement with the state homeland security adviser, state law
enforcement agencies, local law enforcement agencies, and the
Department of Homeland Security. Variables in Section 9, Opinions
about Terrorist Threat, include the importance of various events to
daily security activities, the type of terrorist attack that is
perceived most likely, and the criticality of various security
measures.

Response Rates

Of the 1,372 surveys mailed, a total of 120 surveys
were completed and returned for a response rate of 9 percent.

Presence of Common Scales

Original Release Date

2007-12-18

Version Date

2007-12-18

Version History

2007-12-18 ICPSR data undergo a confidentiality review and are altered when necessary to limit the risk of disclosure. ICPSR also routinely creates ready-to-go data files along with setups in the major statistical software formats as well as standard codebooks to accompany the data. In addition to these procedures, ICPSR performed the following processing steps for this data collection:

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